Machine for indicating and recording elapsed time.



APPLICATION FILED APR. 20. 1914.

Patoned .I une 26, 1917.

LSLLI,

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WTNESSE HIS l L. G. ZESBAUGH. MACHINE FOB INDICATING AND RECORDING ELAPSED TIME.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20. i914.

H 7 m2. w um m- 2H E N Z m www ma. .m s E .m5 w ww L. G. ZESBAUGH.

MACHINE FOR INDICATING AND RECORDING ELAPSED TIME.

APPLICATION FILED APR.20. 1914.

1,231,1 O8. Patented June 26, 1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES INVENTOR y/4/ @MM LAWRENCE G. ZESBAUGH *JMW MM' L. G. ZESBAUGH.

MACHINE FOR INDICATING AND RECORDING ELAPSED TIME.

APPLlcATloN msn Ammo, 1914.

L. G.`zI:'sB /IuGII.

MACHINE FOR INDICATING AND RECORDING ELAPSED TIME.

APPLICATION FILED API-1.20. 1914.

LAWRENCE G. ZESBAUGH,

OF ll/IINNEAPOLIS,

MINNESOTA.

MACHINE FOR NDICATING AND RECORDING ELAPSED TIME.

Speciicaton of Letters Patent.

atented J une 26, i917.

Application led April 20, 1914. Serial No. 833,109.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, LAWRENCE G. Zns- BAUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Indicating and Recording Elapsed Time, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for indicating and recording elapsed time, and has for its object to provide a machine wherein clock-operated time indicating mechanism which is positively and continuously driven is so related to supplemental and normally stationary indicating mechanism controllable by the operator for seti ting printing rollers from or by the clock driven mechanism so that any given period of elapsed time may be printed upon a card and the amountto be paid at given rates per hour :t'or the actual elapsedI time.

It is a further object of my invention to provide means for controlling the printing rollers and for yieldingly holding the same.

and locking them in predetermined set positions at any given period so that the time rollers Will print on the minute and hour indications, and the cost rollers will print even multiples, as multiples of live.

The particular purpose to be served by my device is in connection with billiard or pool tables, bowling alleys, etc., in which a charge is made tor the sale of such tables based upon the length of time which the table or implement is used, the rate also varying in accordance with the number of players who use the same. A card is provided upon one side oil which positively driven time rollers print Aa record showing 'the starting time. A pair of time indicating disks constantlyY clock-driven are provided, which, through certain ixed indicators, show the correct time in hours and minutes. l/Vhen the player concludes his use of the table or bowling4 alley, manually controlled means set a movable indicator' to point on the clock-driven time disks the sented to the printing` apparatus with the other side of the card beneath the time printing rollers and operation of the printing mechanism will print the elapsed time, the amount to be paid at the several rates, and the correct stopping time, so that the card has the record of the starting and stopping time, the elapsed time, and the amounts to be paid at the several rates. lt thus appears that the patron or" the businesses, as indicated above, is provided with a clear and delinite record of the transaction about which there can be no dispute, which is a matter or' very great advantage in this class of business where the records kept by the proprietor are often questioned and ditliculty is experienced in making corrections.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the detailed description thereot1 and are particularly pointed out in the claims.

Inthe drawings, illustrating the application of my invention in one form,-

Figure l is a plan view of my device with some parts broken away or removed and some parts in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view similar toFig. l showing a different set of parts. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the parts shown in Fig. l, on line 3 3, viewed in the'direction of the arrows. F ig. l is a transverse sectional elevation view in several different planes with intervening parts broken away. Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4 showing some dilierent parts. Fig. =6 is a detail sectional view of some features of the roller driving mechanism. Figs. 7 and 8 are diagrams ot the time billing cards and the lrst and second printing', respectively.

My invention comprises a trame consisting of a base plate l0 to which is secured vertical upright plates 11, 3Q, 13, 14 and l5 forming the supports and journals for most of the operating mechanism, these several plates being secured to lugs 16 preferably integrally cast upon the base plate l0. A bottom casing l? is provided, adapted to be attached to the base 10 and form walls to inclose the apparatus, and a cover 18 is hinged at 19 to the wall 17, said cover extending down over the front of the machine, as indicated at 20. The cover is also provided with a pair of raised portionsl and 2Q provided with slots 23 and 9.4 for a purpose later to be described. The depending portion of the cover 18 falls inside of a portion of the front wall formed by casing 17, upon which is secured a plate 26 extending inwardly and resting at its inner end upon pins 27 secured to vertical plates 12 and 13. The lower edge of cover 2O above plate 26 is spaced from said plate so as to leave a slot 29 across the front of the machine'above portion 25 through which the card 30 may be inserted for printing. It may be said here that the slot 29 extends between the vertical plates 12 and 13, which provide parallel guides for the edge of the card when the same is inserted within the machine, and that card is of such width relative to the printing mechanism hereinafter described that when presented through the slot and guided by plate 12 the time recording roller alone will print, while when presented so as to be guided by plate 13 the time recording roller will print at the other side of the card and the other printing mechanism will print between the starting time first printed and the last time printing, which will be the stopping time. A stop 31 on plate 12 and a similar stop 32 on plate 13 serve to hold the card 30 at its proper inward position in the machine. Vertical plate 15 has its inner edge positioned to permit the insertion ofthe card to the point of engagement with stop 31.

A bearing shaft or rod 33 is fixedy secured in the three vertical plates 11, 12 and 13.

Rotatably mounted upon this shaft so as to extend within the raised cover portion 21 and have a part of the face thereof visible through slot 23 is a roller 34 of large Idiameter, the face of which is marked with an indicating scale divided into five portions of sixty indicators to each portion, said indications being for minutes of time. Similarly, a roller 35 is journaled on shaft 33 so that a portion thereof will be visible through slot 24, and roller 35 has the exposed face thereof provided with an indicating Scale preferably marked into twentyfour equal parts and indicating hours from one to twelve a. 1n. and one to twelve p. m. The main shaft 36 of a clock, indicated at 37, is journaled in plates 14 and 15, and, through spur gear 38 thereon meshing with spur gear 39 fast with roller 34, drives said roller 34. Similarly, another pinion 40 on clock shaft 36, through reduction gearing 41 meshing with spur gear 42 fast with roller 35, drives roller 35. The ratio of gearing is such that a peripheral extent comprising sixty minute divisions of roller 34 is moved past a given point while one of the hour` divisions on roller 35 is moved past the same point. As shown in Fig. 2, a pointer 43 indicates minutes on the roller 34, while a pointer 44 indicates hours on the roller 35. The time can thus be read from the pointers 43 and 44 with the same facility as from a clock face provided with hands of the usual type. The clock shaft 36 also has thereon a spur gear 45 preferably connected to move with shaft 36 by means of a spiral spring 46 which permits some relative movement of geari45 with respect to shaftl 36. The gearl 45 meshes with gear 47 fast on a hub 48 journaled upon shaft 33, said hub 48 also having fast thereon a check wheel 49 and a roller 50 having the face thereof provided with a series of printing figures running from one to sixty and representing consecutive minutes. A printing roller 51 has its face provided with a series of printing type gures running from one to twelve a. m. and from one to twelve p. m. The roller 51 is journaled upon shaft 33, and the periphery thereof is moved a distance equal to the distance between the sets of the printing figures on its face for each complete revolution of roller 50. rlhis is effected by means similar to those which rotate complemental rollers for the elapsed time and amount due printing mechanism and will be described in detail in connection with such mechanism. It will thus be seen that the printing rollers 56 and 51 are constantly driven by the clock mechanism and the printing type on such printing rollers is so positioned that at any given time the indications of time by pointers 43 and 44 on rollers 34 and 35 will be reproduced upon the printed card 30.

As best shown in `Figs. 1 and 3, there is mounted upon shaft 33 between roller 5l anderrd plate 13 three additional sets of printing rollers, namely, roller 52 for printing minutes of elapsed time and its complemental roller 53 for printing hours; rollers 54 andv complemental roller 55 for printing cents and dollars. respectively, at one rate per hour, and rollers 56 and complemental roller 57 for printing cents and dollars at another rate per hour. The rollers 52, 54 and 56 are each mounted on hubs having fast thereon check wheels 49 identical with one already described in reference to roller 50, andv having on said hubs spur gears 58, 59 and 60, respectively, meshing with spur gears 61, 62 and 63. respectively, on a shaft 64 jornaled in plates 12 and 13` as best shown in Fig. 1. Like the spur gear 45, the several gears 61, 62 and 63 are con-` nected to rotate with shaft 64 by means of coil springs 65 so that said spur gears may yield or have relative movement with respect to shaft 64.` The shaft 64 has thereon a spur gear 66 meshing with a spur gear 67 on a shaft 68 journaled in plates 11 and 12, the shaft 68 extending outside of casing 17 and being provided with a hand-crank 69 by means of'which said shaft is rotated, and in turn the shaft 64 and the rollers 52, 54 and 56 geared therewith.

As above pointed out, each of rollers 50,

52, 54 and 56 has a complemental roller 51, 53, 55 and 57. respectively, which is rotated through a distance equal to one subdivision on the face of said complemental roller for each complete rotation of the roller 50, 52,

54 or 56. The same means is employed for each roller to accomplish this, although the amount of movement of the several complemental rollers may differ, which difference is a merevmatter of degree in the character of the gearing employed. Upon the side of each of rollers 50, 52, 51 and 56 adjacent their respective complemental rollers is a pin '70 adapted to engage a star wheel '71 on a hub 72 journaled on a fixed shaft 73 mounted between plates 12 and 13. Upon each of hubs 72, and therefore connected to rotate with star wheel 71, is a spur gear 71 meshing with a spur gear 75 on the respective complement-al rollers 51, 53, 55 and 57. Each of star wheels 71 is engaged by a spring finger 76 secured to a bar 77 supported by plates 15 and 13, which spring fingers, pressing` into the notches of the star wheels. will hold the same wherever set. Each time one of the rollers 50, 52, 5t or 56 is rotated through a complete revolution the pin thereon engages the star wheel 71 and rotates it a given distance. This rotation through gear 74 and gear 75 is carried to the complemental roller which is thereby forwarded one space for changing the position of the printing member on its face. At the same time, the spring fingers 76, engaging under the notches of the star wheels, hold the star wheels and the complemental rollers geared therewith fixed in their several positions so that the figures thereon will come into alinement with the printing bar 78 carried by printing hammer 79 which is rigid on arms 80 pivoted on a shaft 81 jourialed in the plates 11, 13 and 15.

printing ribbon 82 runs between rollers 83. 84 through guide fingers 85 secured at their ends to a crossbar 86 fastened to plates 11, 12, 13, the guide fingers holding the ribbon 82 between the printing bar 78.and the printing rollers. The shaft 81 is adapted to be rocked by a hand lever 87 outside of the casing 17. Fast on the shaft 81 is an arm 8S having pivoted thereto a catch. 89 formed with a hook 90 which engages over a lug 91 on the side of arm 80, a spring 92 normally holding the hook 90 over the lug 91 so that arm 30 and the printing hammer 79 will be rocked with bar 81. The catch 89 is provided with a nose 93 which engages a post 94, shown as threaded for adjustment, so that when the nose 93 engages said post it will withdraw hook 90 from lug 91 and release the printing hammer, which Will be thrown upward by a powerful leaf spring 95 which has been pressed down by movement of the bar. as indicated in Fig. 4. The momentum given the printingV hammer 79 by -the ribbon 82 and the type spring 95 will throw the, printing bar 78 against the card 30 forcing said card against on the printing rollers and printing on the card the desired numbers. The spring 95 is rest-rained in its upward movement by a keeper 96. The shaft 81 also has fast thereon an arm 97 which is pivotally connected by means of a link 98 and U-spring 99 with a bar 100 eX- tending through a series of arms 101, which arms are fast on a shaft 102 journaled in plates 13 and 15. The armsl 101 are provided with V-shaped heads 103 adapted to engage within .notches 104. in check 'wheels 49. The heads 103 engage in said notches. The printing hannner 79 has been depressed sufticiently to be released by trip catch 89. further movement of arm 97 and link 98 effected b v locking of shaft 81 being compensated by U-spring 99. The engage ment of the heads 103 in the notches 101 of the check wheels serves to position said wheels so as to bring the selected printing figures thereon in the vertical plane of the axis of said wheels to be acted upon by printing bar 78. This adjustment of the printing roller is made possible by reason of the springs 46 and 65 which connect the gearing for operating the rollers with the actuatingmeans for said gearing. As has been already described, the time printing rollers 50 and 51 are operated directly by the clock 37 and are always in position to print present time; while the elapsed time rollers 52 and 53 and the price rollers and 56, 57, respectively, are operated by means of hand-crank 69. The means for regulating the operation of said last named rollers'by means of the hand-crank with the time rollers to correctly set the printing devices for printing the elapsed time and the amount due for such elapsed time will now be described. Rotatably, mounted upon shaft 33 in closeproximity to the minute roller 34 is a roller 105 of the same diameter as roller 34 and vhaving thereon a series of arrows 106 pointing to the minute scale on the face of' roller 34. The arrows 106 are spaced apart a distance equal to the distance on roller between the zero points or the distance occupied by sixty minute divisions. As in the form shown there are live of these sixty minute divisions on roller 31 there will be five arrows or pointers on roller 105. Similarly, a roller 107 is mounted in proximity with the hour roller 35. is of the same diameter as hour roller 35. and has thereon an arrow 108 pointing` to the scale of hour indications on the face of roller35. A spur gear 109 on shaft 68 meshes with a large spur gear 110 on roller 105. A spur gear 111 on shaft 68 is connected by a train of', gearing 112 with a Spur gear 113 on roller 35. The gearing above described is related in its effects upon the respective rollers 105 and 107 as is the gearing from the clock 37 for driving the rollers 34 and 35, with the result that for each vspace equal to a distance between pointers 106 that the periphery of rollerlO is rotated, that is, a distance equal to one set of sixty minute divisions on roller 34C, the periphery of roller 107 will be moved a distance equal to one of the hour divisions on roller 35. When the pointer 106 is brought into alinement with pointer 43 pointer 108 will also aline with pointer 44 and the elapsed time and cost rollers will allbe set toprint zero. f the pointers 106 and 108 are set to indicate a different set of figures, that is, a time diii'erent from present time, the -elapsed time rollers 52 and 53 will thereby he set to print the diiference in time in hours and minutes between present time and the time indicated by pointers 108 and 106; and the cost rollers will be set to print the amount to be paid for the service enjoyed during such period of elapsed time. 1n use, therefore, when a customer begins to use the service the card 30 will be introduced through slot 29 and guided along plate 12 until the edge of the card comes in Contact with the stop 31. The printing mechanism is then operated which prints the card, the present time under the caption started, as indicated in Fig. 7, which is indicated by l :53 p. m. Vhen the customer returns after terminating use of the service the crank 69 is turned until the pointers 106 and 108 are opposite 1:53 p. in. on the time scales of rollers 34 and 35, as indicated in Fig. 1-. This brings the elapsed timerollers and the cost rollers into position to print the elapsed time and the amount to be .paid for such elapsed time. The card is then again inserted in the machine through slot 29 and guided along plate 13 until the inner edge comes in contact with stop 32 and the printing mechanismg operated which will print on the spaces following` that under started the elapsed time, the amount at several rates, and the stopping time, which again is present time, printed from the constantly driven time rollers 50 and 51. This presents a complete record, as indicated in Fig. 8, with start ing time at the left, the elapsed time, the amount to be paid at the several rates, and the actual stopping time.

1t will be seen that my recording and billing device is extremely simple when the complicity of the operations involved is considered, and that the results obtained are satisfactory in a high degree. The provision of means for recording present time whenever a card is printed and of using the same printing rollers for printing present time at starting and also at stopping is an especially desirable feature which .greatly simplifies the machine and provides a perfect check.

it is apparent that my recording device may be used in connection with giving a record for workmen or employees. When used without the price rollers a record of the time when work was begun, the time when work was finished, and the actual time engaged will be provided. If desired, the price rollers may also be used to give a record of the total amount to be paid for the elapsed time indicated.

I claim:

1. A machine for indicating elapsed time comprising an elapsed-time printing roller normally at rest, a clock-controlled time-in dicating roller, and a manually-controlled indicator coperating with said clock-controlled time roller and geared with said elapsed-time printing roller and movable therewith in such relation that when said indicator is set to point to present time on the clock-controlled time roller the elapsed-time printing roller will register at Zero, and a movement of the indicator will be accompanied by a movement of the elapsed-time printing roller such as to cause the same to register in printing the difference between the present time and the time indication on the clock-controlled roller at which the indicator is set.- l

2. A machine for indicating elapsed time comprising elapsed time indicating and recording mechanism, a pair of time rollers having hour and minute indications, respectively, on the faces thereof, a clock for operating said rollers, iiXed indicators for indicating present time on said rollers, a manually controlled device for indicating any time on said rollers, and means operated conjeintly with said manually controlled device to control the elapsed time mechanism.

3. A machine for indicating elapsed time comprising elapsed time indicating and recording mechanism, a pair of time rollers having hour and minute indications, respectively, on the faces thereof, a clock for operating said rollers, fixed indicators for indicating present time on said rollers when so operated, rollers mounted axially in re, spect to said clock controlled rollers and having thereon' indicators pointing to said respective hour and minute indications, means for operating said last named rollers so as to cause the indicators thereon to indicate time in respect to the clock operated rollers, and means operated in conjunction with said last named rollers to control the elapsed time mechanism.'

4. An elapsed time and price recording lmachine comprising'sets of rollers for indicating and recording elapsed time and correlated sets of rollers for indicating and recording charges at given rates for such elapsed time, clock controlled time indicating mechanism, manually controlled mechanisin cooperating with said clock controlled mechanism for indicating time periods, and means operating conjointly with said manutime indicating emi lee eeeidfig z'elleis9 melleetes for indicating piesent time en the imele eezitelled dei/ice o1; seid time melee,

*ig elles, ai menueily i izelieeting eey tellers9 enel means operated eenjei sei i trelleel fleviee te the elaeseel iellers enel ptieeg secos-sling rel-less.,

'5. in elapsed time en ce ieeeiciilig ineeliizie eempiisiiig tellers i1iflieating; and i'eeeiifl' ig elapsed time and ce1"- elateel ets ei? iolleis "ier indieetilig and eeeidiiig et given es o simil elapsed time, @leek eeiitielleel ne feces@- i g iellei's axially i geel iii i'espeet te seid other soliei's7 manuel eentiellecl meeiis fes 'setting the elapsed Dime emi giice reeoiflg tellers7 e commen printing meeliemism epei'etif'ig upon eill ei seid ellei's7 eens eamittmg and guidis e so tl e toll it me side said cmd7 and ineens t @emitting iid guiding seid @eral se that ali et said ielieis will mint iii eiiiiement 1 "Ji enel et one sic'e time piiited en time. tiem tee dem the earcl fiom the iist memecl 'pessimi thereof.

iiig piesent time on the time elle-rs, a manually operative simi' estesi theiewitli for indicating any desied eiecl on the time indicating 'rollers5 miel eerieletecl geaiiiig connecting seid slieiit with the elepsecl time -folleis peice le seeding rollers te operate J'lie seme A mee. lieeti e e comprising ei- @Tinting meefiaziism meimelly e' sleek-ce^ tielleo; drum iai/'ing tiene en elly meuiiteel diem e Ltei eel tiieieoii9 manually-spenen@ means tei eenjointly adjusting said last-iiamecl flium te oi-ing 51e peintes te pesitieii indicating my .desired "ne te move the elepseelcheating meelieiism izite At the ele-@sed f I :position to time indicated by the peitime. 

